Category Archives: Reasons For Optimism

65. Newegg scored a major victory against a patent troll. This has a positive externality that makes it less likely that other e-commerce stores will come under attack by similar trolls.

59. Solar power is still becoming more efficient at an incredible rate, and it could finally eclipse the equivalent energy costs of fossil fuels by the end of this decade, marching us into “a whole new world” of abundant, cheap … Continue reading →

55. Africa’s rapid economic development continues. “64 recent major discoveries of fuel deposits” will help the continent meet its growing energy needs, and connecting more Africans to the electric grid will save millions of lives from the respiratory illnesses caused … Continue reading →

50. Over Thanksgiving I randomly caught some segments of a (CNBC?) TV program about John Deere and the combines they design and manufacture. They are constantly working on new models that harvest crops more efficiently and more cheaply and are … Continue reading →

46. Poop Transplants Are Saving Lives. Um… self-explanatory. 47. A new report says the Marcellus Shale natural gas reserves are larger than expected. We’re still not running out of energy. 48. Volvo says that by 2014 they will have cars … Continue reading →

42. 3D Printers Are Reshaping Modern Medicine. Dude, we can print human tissue! We’re still “at least 10 years away” from literally printing new organs, but I’m amazed that it’s even on the horizon. Meanwhile, they’re figuring out how to … Continue reading →

39. There are a lot of bad software patents out there that are probably restricting innovation. Stack Exchange has a new sub-site for crowd-sourcing patent applications to help find “prior art” for silly patents that aren’t really anything new. It’s … Continue reading →

30. A federal judge has struck down the “indefinite detention” in the NDAA as unconstitutional. It’s always encouraging to see the judicial branch actually checking the legislative branch’s attempt to give the executive branch unrestrained power. The battle is far … Continue reading →